I read the gender swapped version of Twilight...it was wild

[@ceilinh6004]

Let's be honest- Stephanie Meyer just wanted to jump on the Twilight fanfiction bandwagon with the rest of the internet. 😂

[@copyj8187]

Seriously! I heard about this last year but I didn't know until now that it is not only an actual book but that it was written by the author of Twilight.

[@samanthagibbons6353]

Okay, hold up……. WHY am I seeing your profile EVERYWHERE all of the sudden???

[@ceilinh6004]

@@samanthagibbons6353 IDK. I used to comment on a lot more stuff, but haven't done much lately. KZbin's been super glitchy, and I haven't been able to comment on Shorts for a good while, so that's definitely dropped my comments a lot. 🤷‍♀️

[@megteg]

I mean def but that’s a brilliant move money wise. I salute her

[@KellyHannigan-ju1ok]

The 20 year anniversary is next year, i hope Stephanie Meyer writes another book

[@eeeesproductions]

You're so right about how Bella is weak, but she's also not just physically weak, she is a weak character. Which is far more damaging than her needing to be rescued. Her life revolves around her bf of 2 months, she is suicidal when he leaves and she gives up any and all ambitions solely for him. She tolerates him breaking her car so she can't see someone he doesn't want her to see. It doesn't matter how physically strong she is a vampire, because the problematic aspects are not the physical ones

[@emilyrose8696]

Honestly? I think a big reason of why Bella did all that is because of her childhood. Growing as up as the caretaker for her mother (and her father too when she moves) and how she didn’t REALLY make friends when she moved to a place she hated. We have to remember that Edward was basically the first to somehow support and take care of her, he was always so protective towards her and he was basically the one guy she knew best in this town where she feels alone

[@eeeesproductions]

@@emilyrose8696 that’s one explanation for why a real life girl would do that, but I don’t think it’s what Meyer intended. Bella’s life revolves around guys and especially Edward because it’s True Love and that’s how love is supposed to be (according to Meyer). Meyer never intended Twilight to depict an unhealthy relationship with a girl who needs to learn to love herself. In her view Bella is not damaged, but the perfect girl who is rewarded by a perfect love. It’s all in the framing

[@leahscontemporary]

​@@eeeesproductionsIts literally the entire basis of the character and story and defined every single action taken in this series. Talk about failing at literary analysis😂😂

[@eeeesproductions]

@@leahscontemporary why so rude? The story is very sexist and Bella is a weak character. Slapping an explanation of “oh she was parentified and an outsider and finally felt loved and protected by this impossibly handsome (but controlling) bf and that’s why she acts all dependent on him” doesn’t change that. A better way to convey that would have been if that was shown to be unhealthy and having Bella overcome that dependency. Not slapping “hey now that I’m a vampire you don’t have to be overprotective anymore. Problem solved”

[@Ceares]

So she needs therapy, not a boyfriend. Basically this is the clean version of the magical healing cock, where "true love" cures all your psychological problems. And that's the basis of a lot of the complaints about the books. In books specifically aimed for YA, it's a troubling trope/message. As the video specifically pointed out, creators have the opportunity to subvert rather than reinforce harmful societal norms and doing so can bring about real, tangible change in society(see shows like Will and Grace and Modern Family's effect on the fight for LGBTQ rights or going way back, the way that the FDA exists because of Upton Sinclairs the Jungle). @@emilyrose8696

[@im_fOive1438]

The amount of time I heard manly man made me question if man was even a word anymore

[@Sim0sama]

If it’s not a manly man, it’s not a man 😂

[@simplythatguy-o6n]

7:01 as a man with brown eyes, I can confirm that the authorities are currently shaking down my house as I hide in the closet desperate to not make a noise s I don't get arrested.

[@bees9342]

Surprised by my disappointment that it’s not “Edwina Cullen.” No shade to Edith, just would have been fun to have a romantic lead called Edwina. Both old-fashioned names, but Edith feels like it’s come back into fashion and awareness, where Edwina hasn’t.

[@humairahkazi2459]

I've never heard the name edwina, but I already love it! On the note of Edith getting popular again, in the book it's spelled edythe, which I think really adds to the uniqueness of it.

[@jordanking3400]

It reminds me of Brigerton

[@wiewardass]

@@jordanking3400It certainly does. I was wondering where I heard the name, so I had to look it up. There is the Character "Edwina Sharma" in the second season. I totally forgot her name 😅

[@hollywebster6844]

Edwina and Biff. These are the gender swap names I wanted to see. Yep, Edwina and Biff. 😅

[@fishleaf1093]

That's funny. My little sister's name is Editha, but she was originally supposed to be named Edwina after our dad. So even tho our parents went for Editha, we nicknamed her Winnie, and people are confused why. Lol. It's just funny how you picked those two names, so I had to comment. 😅

[@nea.bug13]

‘There’s no great need to take it apart and analyze it. BUT I WILL!’ This is why we love you Mikaila

[@chocorenavfx4403]

the fact that Beaufort is the name of my favorite cheese really stops me from taking the character seriously like- "oh hi PARMESAN! How you doing CHEDAR CHEESE?" So many name options Stephanie, so many 😭😭

[@Khaleesi_Jack]

Hi friend! Have you heard about our lords and saviors, Stray Kids?

[@chocorenavfx4403]

​@@Khaleesi_JackI'm a stay 😭

[@Khaleesi_Jack]

@@chocorenavfx4403; •*Looking at you like SpongeBob realized Squidward like Krabby patties*• So then you KNOW what song is in mind when I read your comment. 😁

[@chowyee5049]

Stephanie Meyer could have written about Jasper's turn from Confederate officer to vampire warlord but she chose this instead.

[@tiawestbrook1521]

I would have LOVED that!

[@sarahmccubbin6750]

in regard to the "why did Bella/Beaus eye color change" thing, I'm pretty sure it's because in the original book there was an emphasis on how Bella looks so much like her dad so Meyer kind of also flipped that so Beau looks like his mom :) hope that helps?

[@swatisaini6447]

Sounds perfect 🤯

[@Switcher_Zero]

Ohh, that actually makes a lot of sense

[@Nyaracuga]

the women dont breathe part needs to be a short with no context given 😭

[@itsavika7163]

Srsly

[@nonameless2]

"theres no need to take it apart and analyze it...but i WILL" you just summarized all KZbinrs in a nutshell and im so here for it

[@Blumpkinthehobbit]

"if you are a man with brown eyes the authorities are coming to your house rn" My Asian ass👁👄👁

[@readmachine18]

LOL, the hilarious irony of Stephanie writing this to show that the OG book isn't sexist but the gender-swapped re-write reinforcing gender roles is peak 😅😂😂😂

[@CharlotteWarrior]

Haven't seen the video yet but you know it's a good day when Mikaila posts

[@magicbymikaila]

😭🫶🏼

[@V_4_Versace]

I agree about the internal monologue! I felt so mature and wise reading Bella’s voice in Twilight, and it felt like one of the first times I read a female-led romance-forward YA book that didn’t try to dumb down language or give us “hip, cool teen talk” so it’s a shame if it was supposed to be a one for one gender swap that teen boys wouldn’t be able to have that same experience.

[@wandering_nobody]

I can speak as a (but not all) teen boy(s): I would not appreciate all the verbose bullshit.

[@V_4_Versace]

@@wandering_nobody why?

[@wandering_nobody]

@@V_4_Versace Don't get me wrong. I, as an individual, have a fairly large vocabulary...it's just that I usually use said diction to describe something that I either don't like or find absolutely absurd and/or stupid. When I think about something that I like, i describe it plainly. It's when I *don't* like something that I paint a detailed picture.

[@V_4_Versace]

@@wandering_nobody I don’t think that’s really responsive to my question or your original comment, but alright

[@wandering_nobody]

@@V_4_Versace Translation: Describing things that I *do* like in more detail than is absolutely necessary feels viscerally *wrong.*

[@adymlv]

OHMYGOD, CHARLIE!!! He did NOT deserve that change, WTF Stephenie???

[@benkoskinen3871]

As someone who just read this with little prior knowledge, even I was surprised by how marginalised Charlie was here, as much as Beau was repeating it, I couldn't completely buy into the "happy ending"

[@NaneB-ny2go]

WTF, poor Charlie. This is not ok. Feel sad about your Dad, not just leave them and don't look back

[@shiaras4675]

Being human is not necessarily an excuse to look and appear so weak compared to all these supernatural creatures. There are plenty of things that humans could equip themselves with to run with them. Not necessarily win in a fist fight but at least not be weak: Exhibit A) Teen Wolf - The Argents = What can I say? The Argents were totally human hunters who made werewolves fear/be wary of them. Even their daughter, Allison Argent who wasn't informed of the supernatural ahead of time used S01 and S02 to train herself. Exhibit B) Teen Wolf - Stiles Stilinski - Stiles, by his own admission is "...147 pounds of pale skin and fragile bones, sarcasm is my only defense." And yet he's not constantly being saved by his supernatural friends. He studied every myth and legend he could find on supernatural creatures, he kept his handy baseball bat with him, and knew when he wouldn't be physically able to do anything and hung back. Exhibit C) TVD - Elena Gilbert = Elena annoys me. SUPREMELY. But, despite how her seemingly go-to answer to every supernatural threat was either let the Salvatores save her, ask Bonnie for help, or sacrifice herself. There were at least moments where she armed herself with vervain and asked Ric for self defense training. Exhibit D) TVD - Matt Donovan = Again Matt ANNOYED me. But he was completely human, armed himself with crossbows and wooden bullets and wooden stakes to not only defend himself but to help protect the town he lived in. Exhibit E) Supernatural - The WInchesters = I mean, if you've seen Supernatural, this doesn't need much explanation. Not even just the Winchesters, every Hunter in SPN is proof that humans don't need to be supernatural to go toe to toe with them. These are only some of the characters (and only on TV) that come to mind when thinking of humans who find themselves immersed in the world of the supernatural. Are they at a disadvantage? Undoubtedly. Does that mean they should be a trouble magnet who expects their supernatural friends to save them? Absolutely not.

[@magicbymikaila]

GREAT POINT 👏🏼 this is why the change they made in the eclipse movie where Bella actually saves Edward at the end by using her wits with distracting Victoria with her blood (versus her trying to save Edward in the book and failing because she’s just a silly little human who didn’t understand what was going on 😭) is one of my favorite changes they made from the series! It felt like Stephanie Meyer was incapable of making Edward even the tiniest bit fallible, at the cost of Bella’s character 🥲

[@leahscontemporary]

Humans in the Twilight universe are literally helpless against vampires. Do you how OP Twilight vampires are??? What is this

[@DeepikaGinger]

@@magicbymikailaEh. Stephanie did make Edward a tiny bit fallible because Bella was the one who worked out their enemy’s plan and figured out that it was Victoria who was behind it, while Edward thought that it was the Volturi. But, yeah, she couldn’t give Bella a moment where she felt like she was helping, and that she wasn’t a liability. And, to make it worse, Stephanie did the same thing to Renesmee in the next book!

[@elsievanvuuren5946]

I enjoyed watching Teen Wolf so much!! I am going to HAVE to watch it again!

[@imaniaigheyisi7426]

⁠@@leahscontemporaryhumans in literally ANY universe are powerless against vampires. That’s why they’re saying to arm the humans with things they can use to protect themselves. All the humans in each of these examples got hurt at least once. The vampires in twilight are really just the regular run of the mill vampires lol

[@rin-eri]

Thank you for making this. I actually bought the book recently and wanted to read it. I got 2-3 chapters before I had to put it down and mark it as DNF. Seeing the toxic words and behaviors come from a girl (Edythe) only further highlighted how ridiculous and problamtic the whole thing is. As a teen in the mid-2000s, I was obsessed with Twilight. I thought it was so dreamy and cool to have a guy obsessed with you and fawning over you. Then as an adult I actually had a relationship with a guy that obsessive and yes it was fucking toxic and abusive. I can't go back and re-read that without the reality coming in to remind me how fucked up it is in real life. Seeing it with the genders reversed made it even worse. That said, I did want to know what happened. So I'm glad you read it for me lol.

[@Sim0sama]

Im sorry about what happened to you in real life, I hope you’re ok and you’re recovering well. I’m almost 30 and I’ve notice the same things, lots of toxic relationship I was obsessed about in my teenage years, looks kinda silly nowadays 😂 I didn’t read the swap version, but I remember well that even if Edward was awkward and kinda toxic and problematic, she was into it, ‘cause she almost love him first sight or at least she was attracted by him so much. I like to think about some force of nature that attracts people together like destiny 🤔 in this way, it’s kinda romantic after all. Also, lots of great romantic gesture, are really romantic only if they are both sides, if you are not into someone and he/she present under your windows and serenade you, this is hella awkward and weird and also kinda scary 😂(just an example).

[@earthlingphilosophy3531]

exactly the whole situation is just toxic and abusive.

[@teresaellis7062]

I hope you doing well. 💝 I too have a problem with all the Twilight books. The passiveness of Bella and the obsessiveness of Edward bothered me when I read it the first time. It was a major reason I was worried about girls and young women thinking that the books were so romantic. I actually read the whole original series because I wanted to have an informed opinion of the books. Stephanie Meyers's book The Host is equally unsettling. She writes books about toxic relationships and calls them normal relationships. 🤢

[@corbanekarel3692]

I kind of get you. I did escape a lot in my late teens in toxic fictional relationships as afantasy - and I understood them as things that aren't meant to be real. And then I met a man who violated my boundaries, including physical, like a lot. I was unable to enjoy any of this for a couple years after that because it reminded me of reality too much. Then a bit later I was capable of enjoying them again but felt like a bad person or a traitor to feminism for it. And then I realized that it's not some much the escapist fantasies and the people writing/buying them that are the problem; it's the people making them real. My only qualm with Miss Meyers outside of the blatant racism, is that she heavily marketed her books towards little girls and actually wrote Bella as the perfect Mormon wife; too young for her husband, dedicated to him to the point of martyrdom, and not getting an education in favor of becoming a housewife. She wasn't trying to sell them a fantasy, she was trying to sell them her messed up religion and its views.

[@장미-z2j]

I had no idea this book existed, it sounds like something a fan would write on Wattpad 😭

[@hello-lz4xj]

MICHAEL CROUCH? I JUST HEARD HIS VOICE AND I WAS LIKE, "MAGNUS?" he read the audiobook for Magnus chase ship of the dead

[@Chlorie_]

ME TOO

[@itsavika7163]

Same here!

[@Marlodrama]

The ending is giving “im not tryna write 3 more books like this”

[@youknowlikealiar1300]

Your commentary at the end was just perfect, summed up all my thoughts about this re-imagining in the best way

[@1...1.]

"if you haven't noticed 🙄I haven't breathed ONCE THIS ENTIRE VIDEO 😡 if you saw me breathing, it was trick of the light 💡 *TAKES DEEP BREATH* it was the florences" this is why I love her 😂

[@violajames]

I can't wait for the 20 year rewrite of Bella as a badass, and the 30 year Isekai Manhwa.

[@laiatezenas3300]

As the token French viewer, I'm afraid I must inform you that Beaufort is a type of cheese 😂😭🧀 💀 It's one of the most well-known hard-type of cheese in France. Imagine being called Cheddar Cullen 😩😆😭🧀

[@natalyaporter5730]

😂

[@hello-lz4xj]

I'm sure there are good names that are like Bella, ben, beau, Berri, belle, bello, BELA

[@spacewolfcub]

[ whispers ] Bela Lugosi was a guy and played the role of a vampire...

[@jamiegdubois]

Completely unrelated to the video, but I love the new haircut, Mikaila!

[@magicbymikaila]

thank you, they’re actually clip in bangs haha! I wasn’t ready to commit to real bangs yet 😂

[@averyabney8772]

I knew I never wanted to read this book. But you telling me about that ending with Charlie broke me a little. I love Charlie. He's such a great character, I had no idea the book did that to him. That's so horrible.

[@SingingSealRiana]

He died in my eyes when His reaction to Bella getting assaulted was high giving the Guy and laughting at her for breaking her Hand trying to defend herself . . .

[@HyattHyatt3179]

I think the points about the ending are really important, not only for the characters, but to reflect real life situations. Permanently breaking ties with someone, even if it's for the better isn't pain free, and there will always be someone or something that gets left behind, and that hurts. It's not just a "whatever I have a new life now", it's a back and forth about if you made the right decision or if you can somehow compromise. It's a really big thing and the guilt shouldn't just be written off as a "who cares I'm better now"

[@MidknytOwl]

It's been a while since I read it, but one thing I remember that stood out to me was how Beau described Edythe's beauty. I think there's a time when he talks about the twig of her collar bone, and another one where she's got a tight shirt on and he can see the outline of her ribs, and these both are part of him being in awe of her beauty. Those are terrible things to equate to beauty that are just going to cause damage to young readers as well, and I was floored that it was how a woman would describe a beautiful girl. Do better.

[@Violet737T]

It was interesting hearing you talking about the changes in the book, because I've been studying English Language, and there's actually a whole topic on how gender affects language, with theorists who have done studies and found these differences in the way men and women talk. It makes me realize this book must be very well researched, and even though you don't like the stereotypes Stephenie Meyer has enforced, it's actually very accurate to what I've been learning. I love your videos. You always have really interesting thoughts on books! ❤

[@lunaduarte7891]

he justifying why a guy is hot just makes it looks more and more gay to me JASHJASHAJ

[@andrewmallory3854]

I am only vaguely aware of a phenomenon called 'Twilight' but enjoyed your enthusiasm and insights immensely! It didn't mean much to me but was still fun...

[@meganofsherwood3665]

Same! I watched the Twilight obsession from the sidelines, so I have no first-hand experience, but I really loved this analysis!

[@zoainaiip]

Dear Stephanie, since it seems that you have soooo much time in your hands I wish for a Rosalie/Bella fanfi- I mean, book au or Beau/Edward I dont care. Please! (Anyway opening AO3 rn) ps. they are actuals fanfics about Beau and Edward

[@dazaimaru5799]

I was about to say, I once read a fanfiction that was Beau/Edward, and it was actually really good, but it's still incomplete!

[@AlSidre]

​@@dazaimaru5799 can I have a link olease

[@kaliforevah]

I know it's been a month since you wrote this comment, but do you happen to remember the name of it? I'd like to read it ​@@dazaimaru5799

[@informationjunkie]

Blasphemy Alice/Bella is the only way

[@MelaniePoparad]

The manly man-bun is amazing.

[@brightwitch]

I really loved all of this analysis, thank you! I found your point about the child caregiver aspect really interesting. For me that stood out in the first chapter with Bella describing her worry over leaving her impulsive, free-spirited/childlike mother behind. That and the fact that she was moving to Forks so her mother could freely travel with her new partner made it seem that adult maturity and personal sacrifice was baked into her character from the first page. I think that makes her pursuit of love as a primary fixation more interesting. She is determined to pursue something she truly wants for herself, perhaps for the first time ever in her life. And so in that context I’d argue that the ‘sacrifice it all for love’ aspect of the story could be read as an act of agency and self-determination, as opposed to being the sacrifice of agency that it might have read as for a differently characterised MC. (Agree about the therapy though, I’m not arguing it was healthy at all 😂)

[@MariaPaula-uw3ds]

Your comment actually made me realize how the character development of Bella didn't make sense. Like, she was so mature to realize some subtle aspects of her parents behavior and previous relationship (some that even seem like her parents themselves didn't notice) but at the same time she was so deeply immature and native to the point of not realizing how her relationship with Edward was destined to fail? To accept unacceptable things in his behavior and their relationship?

[@brightwitch]

@@MariaPaula-uw3dsYeah, agree! She was so intellectual about her approach to relationships, but then succumbed so quickly and naively to infatuation, just like her parents did, which she was actively trying to avoid. All the while deriding her parents’ choices as she emulates them herself. It makes me wonder whether there’s commentary to be read in there about how the nature of toxic/dysfunctional l relationships can override logical thinking due to overwhelming feelings… or if it’s just a narrative crutch like ‘see, she’s *smart* so she must be strong, mature, and independent without actually making her behave that way a lot of the time’ 😅

[@erinbellamy7668]

I'm happy I watched this because I was definitely feeling some Twilight nostalgia and thought I might read this, but I can't deal with what poor Charlie goes through at the end 😭 It hurt to even be told about it without being immersed in the story. Good lord. My emotions.

[@brittanyjones8942]

It’s been a few years since reading Life and Death and honestly can’t remember half of it. The beginning and the end are honestly it lol. But I’ve started re-reading the saga. Actually a couple chapters into Midnight Sun since finishing Twilight. I honestly forgot how much I detest Rosalie. She is shallow and honestly brings nothing to the story until telling Bella her story and why she’s voting no to Bella becoming one of them. She’d trade Emmett in a hot minute if it made her human again. Honestly don’t see what Emmett sees in Rosalie other than the person who gave him a second, stronger, chance at life.

[@magicbymikaila]

Let me know your thoughts on Rosalie after finishing midnight sun, I’d be super curious to hear! I feel like her character was done more justice in midnight sun than in the original twilight series!

[@jazcaddell2443]

Characters in books are seen by us through the point of view of our narrator. In this case Bella. Bella doesn't know Rosalie and she is disliked by her so we see this narrow view of who she is as a person. Edward knows her much better so in midnight sun we get a much wider view of who she is and why she makes the decisions she does. Would love to know if you still feel the same after reading Edwards point of view.

[@TwilightSagaCullen]

*JUSTICE FOR CHARLIE!!!!!* I'm a huge Twilight fan but I read the first line and cringed, it ended up thrown across the room! I didn't end up reading it! The names were torture enough!😂 Although I'll give it to Stephenie for giving us something other than a Facebook post for the anniversary.

[@Gruagain]

Great video Mikaila! Always love hearing your thoughts on unhinged media! The takes got a lot deeper by the end than I was expecting too! You made a lot of good points, thanks for sharing!

[@inaarakalani9594]

I love how you explained the problems of our society, really well spoken. You convey the point really well and I know that it's not easy discuss these topics, some problems are hard to explain in words but you did it really well and I hope more people watch your videos to understand what you're saying

[@Cailus3542]

Wait, what? Men aren't allowed to have brown eyes? Well, this is awkward. Why did nobody tell me this!? If I'd known this was a problem, I'd have swapped out my eyeballs years ago. Bad joke aside, this was both hilarious and an excellent commentary. Having read the Twilight series as a dumb teenager (and having not grown much smarter since), these aren't things that I often think about when reading. Mind you, it is amusing that Meyer felt a need to reinforce Beaufort's "manliness". As a straight man, I actually identified with Bella's character in many respects.

[@alyssoid]

Both the existence of this book and your reaction are unhinged. I love it.

[@ndsketcher6445]

2:52 "Because WOMEN. DON'T. BREATHE." *inhales* "ONLY. MEN. BREATHE." *inhale* "If you haven't noticed, I haven't breathed ONCE in this entire video if you saw me breathing it was a trick of the light" *inhale* "it w- it was the... fluorescents." I see know breathing here. Just inhaling, but no proof of breathing. Also as a woman, I can confirm this is also true for me.

[@keres.carrots]

Now read Midnight Sun and Life and Death at the same time just to see if the dynamics are better if it's gay.

[@darienday6050]

I loved your final commentary. I enjoyed the commentary as you were going through the book, but the final comments really made the video. Keep it up!

[@thaliaperales9610]

I read a Wattpad story with Edythe and Bella!!! I wish Stephanie Meyer would’ve done that!

[@StarWarsomania]

I read Twilight and 85% of New Moon before they were “cool”. I read them as an angsty teen who wanted to pointlessly teenage angst, and these were *excellent* books to pointlessly teenage angst to. I think part of that was that Bella’s internal monologue just lends itself to that pointless teenage angst. I say I read 85% of New Moon because that was about as far as I got before I resurfaced from my pointless teenage angst phase. Finishing New Moon without that melodramatic need to angst was a huge slog. Investment in the characters was the only thing that got me to the last page. I made a note to myself to read the sequel and kind of forgot about them. When Eclipse came out and became a huge cultural moment I was so confused. I seriously did not think my weird vampire books from that “angsty phase” could possibly have national, nay _international_ attention. In some ways I still can’t believe it. I’m seriously struggling to comprehend how Twilight would even work without that angsty internal monologue, if “Beaumont” really has such a different internal “voice”. It takes away the only decent aspect of the book.

[@teresaellis7062]

I was a teen long before Stephanie Meyers wrote anything, (1990's) so my pointlessly teenage angst was satiated with dystopian teen survival stories. I remember enjoying(?) a book where a disease killed all the adults, but left the children and very young teens alive. The story mostly focuses on the struggles of the main characters, but you do find out the consequences of a lone farmer who wasn't able to let the cattle out to pasture before she died. I vaguely remember the author touching very briefly on the lack of the very youngest of children in the group of survivors. Funny that it never caught on as a "must read" book. Perhaps because it didn't have any romance? 🤔

[@thecrow30]

Okay, the video and all the information aside ... your hair is FABULOUS

[@samcer1002]

What’s crazy is I actually have this version of the original Twilight where if you flip it upsidedown and start from the back you can read Life and Death. I had no clue what it was. I mostly got the twilight books as a joke although I will read them someday solely because I hear they’re better than the movies lol

[@spino-ace]

Wait how does that work?

[@samcer1002]

@@spino-ace It's one of those books that's two books in one. So if you start from the front, you can read Twilight all the way through and the book stops halfway through the pages. Then, if you flip the book over you can start from the other side and read Life and Death, and that book stops halfway through the pages going the other way. I don't know if that made more sense, it's a bit difficult to explain.

[@tesswarren4732]

Wow your conclusion was so eloquently and clearly explained and covered all sides. Well done!

[@CI-Mink]

I very much enjoyed this take on the books and Bella’s character! You have incredible insight and you still made it fun/funny 🥰

[@caylarivera2804]

I heard that this edition was published instead of midnight sun, because EL james had just put out a book from christain grays pov, and Stephanie was not okay with looking like she was coppying her own fan fic writers lol. It was really hard for me to not imagine Bella and Edith or Beau and edward lol..

[@vampireclan3814]

"There's no need to take it apart and analyze it... BUT I WILL!" That. That got me.

[@hakasims]

Stephenie didn’t realize Bella isn’t a weak character because she doesn’t lift. Bella is a weak character because she’s self-absorbed, has a martyr complex and is interested in literally nothing besides her vampire boyfriend. Girl, reading twice in four books isn’t a real hobby. At least crochet something, I don’t know. In all seriousness, Stephenie’s characters are all weak, no matter how many vampire necks they can break. Leah is the best character, and Stephenie hates her and has zero compassion for her. What does that woman even know?

[@MariaPaula-uw3ds]

Bella has zero personality, her character is so poorly build... but knowing about the author's context it doesn't surprise me at all

[@The.Swiftie.13]

THANKYOU YOU TOOK MY REQUEST!!! ❤

[@dreams4357]

I am no God of literature, but I did study English literature and had to do quite a bit of essays and speeches about analysis and my god was a good and compelling video. I loved the way you've written, said and directed this video, you've made some very interesting points.

[@LinDeGenette]

I'm so glad I have you, cuz I wouldn't be able to go so far in the books. I tried reading the first one but I was totally bend backwards from the thought process of this girl. Other girls and women around me said it's because I have never been in love, but it doesn't matter if I was 13 or 30, cuz I still can't get into her state of mind. The sleep podcast with rain sound here on YT almost got me through the second book but tbh there is still a lot I don't get emotionally, choice wise and again her thought process 🤸🏼‍♀️🙈

[@MariaPaula-uw3ds]

You're not alone in that! Kkkkk

[@DeepikaGinger]

I read an article about the book, that mentioned a couple of other instances of gendered changes, and skimmed the book afterwards to confirm. Billy Black had done a lot of work on the engine, but Bonnie Black had had a lot of work done on the car, meaning that she hadn’t done it herself, unlike her male counterpart. Also, the scenes where Bella and Beau confirm that Edward and Edythe are dangerous are played a bit differently. Bella believes it immediately, and her pulse races, but Beau still has a bit of doubt because Edythe looks small.

[@abbymcdaniel7969]

i swear we go through the same fandom phases. its crazy every single one.

[@WildKat25]

Stephanie Meyers is a Mormon, she wrote Beau how she thinks a male mormon should act in a modern situation. If you aren't considering the mormon perspective, Beau feels super silly.

[@MariaPaula-uw3ds]

Not only beau but also Bella

[@em-js9ns]

I started reading it without having recently read twilight so I missed some of the most unhinged changes and you’ve just reminded me 😭

[@johntaylor7029]

As a brown eyed man, this video gave me the warning to dodge the authorities. I do not know what fate lies ahead of me; but thank you for giving me the chance to seek it.

[@isaac5446]

"I haven't breathed once" *breathes*

[@serakayle7903]

that's a trick of the light!

[@isaac5446]

@@serakayle7903 that's fair. My bad.

[@teresaellis7062]

@@serakayle7903 😂

[@teresaellis7062]

@@isaac5446 🤣

[@BLUESBIRD]

I was unable to sleep at 2 in the morning, so instead I made a list of reasons why Renee and Charlie were terrible parents. For example they seemed like kind and good simple people for the little time they were involved in the series, but they really depended on Bella/beau (specifically Renee) when she was only 8. Bella/beau mentions she/he didn’t have time for hobbies, they had a hard time connecting to other people their age. Which is awful parenting to enforce on a child.

[@Lunardemigod]

First of all, can I just say that I absolutely love your videos!! Also I was wondering if you had read The Lunar Chronicles or the Keeper of the Lost Cities series? Because I feel like you would love those series

[@meganofsherwood3665]

😮 yes!!!

[@SolidSquid1]

I get that it can be difficult to write about a woman giving up everything up for love, but... from everything I've heard about the books (and I'll admit, I didn't get far in the first one, it just didn't work for me), it wasn't just her giving up everything for love, but that it wasn't really a healthy love? Even the video even mentioned how controlling Edward was and Jacob forcing a kiss (essentially sexual assault), and she decided to be with Edward before they ever became equals, she had no way of knowing whether that treatment would continue and she'd be forced to remain submissive to him So yeah, there might have been a degree of people not thinking she should give up everything for love, but a lot more of it was a young girl, who wasn't even 18 when she first met Edward, giving up everything for a likely abusive relationship with a much older man. It might not have ended up that way, but at the point where she made the choice that kind of does seem like the decision she's made. And the change in this book to where Charlie lets Renee keep Beau not for his sake, but so he can look after her, makes this much worse. If that context applied to the originals, then Bella's a girl from a broken home who gives up everything for what's likely to be an abusive relationship, likely at least in part to get away from that home, and the fact the relationship works out is just pure luck on her part, and very much not how that kind of scenario would usually play out

[@MariaPaula-uw3ds]

This! You got the point! First of all, no one "gives everything up in life for love". People that do that do it out of emotional dependence. No healthy relationship leads to a person abandoning everything for another person, and the fact that is the WOMAN in the relationship doing it for the MAN just makes it a lot worse! But yes, the relationship between Bella and Edward is just the romantization of an abusive, toxic relationship. First of all, Bella was very young, it was her first boyfriend and she came from a dysfunctional family, how could she even know what is (romantic) love at that stage??? OMG she didn't even have FRIENDS!! She didn't even have a parameter of what a good, healthy friendship was...

[@roofoo]

When I originally thought of a gender swapped Twilight, I imagined only Edward, Bella and Jacob were swapped 💀 💀 I think Stephanie should keep the fanfiction to the fans, I say this with NO offense but damn.

[@TaurineDippy]

Twilight is almost 20 years old...Fuck I'm so old.... My knees hurt.

[@connald483]

I'm not a hugger, but a lot of my friends are (I hang out with a lot of theater folk 😅). I regularly tell people that "one-armed bro hugs" are far more comfortable for me than regular hugs. This is the first time I've heard somebody else use that exact vernacular!

[@violajames]

"Bella ain't weak because she's female; she's weak because she's a little [beep]" -Stephenie Meyer, probably

[@BlondeFictionalMen]

I think it's totally true what you said at the end about giving everything up for love, and the double standard on it. I'm really glad Stephenie tried to reinforce that she meant nothing like that, even if it might not have panned out exactly how she planned, I felt very empowered reading that book, and totally think that Edythe becomes all the more alluring of a character in this book

[@sophiethee]

I re-read twilight fairly often as a comfort read specifically because it doesn't evoke any strong feelings in me but amusement now at my age, but the scene where Bella says she doesn't want to be stuck in Forks with Charlie is devastating to me every time.

[@BlondeFictionalMen]

When i first heard of life and death i was like, I'm never gonna read that, even though im a huge twilight fan. But now its literally one of my favourite books!

[@MariaPaula-uw3ds]

Can I ask why?

[@smoll_potato]

I enjoyed this book a lot! Especially about unhinged it is, it was refreshing to hear something fresh after binging all those books in like a month 😊

[@Air_Dan]

This is the literary analysis the world needed

[@OfficialAlexHaines]

Wow! No matter how many times it gets me, I will ALWAYS fall for the sponsorship lead in 😂😂

[@chjikou]

i honestly want to think that the reason why beau always tries to highlight the fact that he is manly man is because in the 2000s a feminine men wasn’t very normal compared to nowadays, so hes just trying to show the side of him that everyone wants to see and fit in with the others even though we all know this is just stephanie’s fault 😭 ps: as a ballet girly im so mad beau didn’t learn ballet cuz ballerinos are hot asf 💔

[@mylonoceda]

Please don't say this is going to be some kind of Twilight Multiverse going forward

[@lacym9278]

You're so real, I enjoy your videos so much! I did not know about this so TIL lol! I enjoyed your thoughts on weaknesses vs being human and gender.

[@BeccaCalaRoarr3]

1:00 Daaang girl dont call yourself old until you are 80, you look and sound like you can still pass for a highschool student and thank you for your review ~ Roarr!

[@alex-fs9yt]

no because I knew about this book since it came out in 2015 (the anniversary thing was all over my feed for some reason so the book was on my radar despite only reading 'twilight' but not the sequels) and when you were making content about how chaotic the reading midnight sun experience was, I was like MIKAILA NEEDS TO READ LIFE AND DEATH lol

[@eowynsisterdaughter]

Do they explain why Royal has long hair? I think canonically their hair grows a bit when they get vampirized, but if he was also from the 30s like Rosalie, short hair was the norm for guys.

[@LucyGrayQueen]

Okay so I know this video is like 10 months old now, but just thought I’d say something. I read somewhere that the reason Bella and Beau have different eye colors is because Bella got her eyes from Charlie, but for some reason Beau got Renée’s eyes. I think it had to do with the whole gender swap thing, but it still doesn’t really make sense.

[@aimun5255]

I think Edith became a pixie maniac girl and that was interesting purely bc when it's paired with Beau's character. Like it was giving yuri with the awkward girl with the popular weird girl

[@nikkiej.5875]

When Life and Death came out, I wasn't really interested in reading it. I am interested in reading Midnight Sun. Honestly I don't think Life and Death was necessary. I think it was a waste of time. I think Stephanie could've written a new story for the anniversary of Twilight. Like maybe she could've written a book about the Cullens and how their lives were for all those years.

[@hiddenechoes]

You're a delight, keep it up!

[@Andrewtr6]

I like the reactions to the books and the review aspects. I've never read the Twilight books but I'm a fan of anything supernatural, especially vampires, so I've watched the movies a number of times. However, as a writer myself- a writer who writes stories where characters have superpowers or supernatural abilities- I side with Meyers to some degree. When I write, my only concern is the context of the story because that's how I think stories should be judged. I don't see it as my responsibility to shape how young girls or anyone sees themselves. In all honesty, I hate when people set expectations on writers that might restrict the story they want to tell. In this case, it's something that is impossible. In the genres I writer, normal human characters end up being weak because they are human. There's no way to avoid that. Edward could have easily killed Bella and there would have been nothing she could do about it. Superman or Spider-Man could easily do the same thing to their love interests (Lois Lane and Mary Jane) because their love interests are normal humans without superpowers. I'm not sure if my point is clear so I'll say it: A normal human would never be stronger than a superhuman, so how would writers avoid having normal human women that are weaker than their superhuman bfs? I still fail to see the problem when it is shown that Bella is a strong character after she becomes a vampire- which is one of the reasons she's called a Mary Sue. Besides, there are plenty of powerful female characters: Storm, Wonder Woman, She-Hulk, Supergirl etc. Obvious examples outside of the superhero genre are Ellen Ripley, Sarah Conor, Michonne (The Walking Dead) but even those three would not be able to fight Edward let alone Superman. It's the same way that a character like John Wick or John Snow or a male character not named John would get smoked by Supergirl or Wonder Woman without a doubt. Unless they have some kryptonite (both literally and figuratively) there's nothing a normal human can do. Like I said, I write in both the superhero and supernatural genres, so I have both male and female characters with powerful abilities. My stories focus on people with unhuman abilities though where Twilight is a story about a normal person falling in love with someone who has unhuman abilities. It just makes sense that Bella would be weak until she became a vampire. Unless she was written with extreme levels of plot armor, I don't see how that could be changed in the story.

[@Shelby-t3i]

When I read this book I was so confused

[@veronicamolina4747]

Honestly Bella’s way of talking fits her perfectly. And some people do talk like that. The odd ones in life talk like that. I like it

[@agentdeadshot87]

6:53 as a man with brown eyes, I can confirm that I do not exist

[@mjmage33]

I'm now curious what you'd think about Branches by Tatiana Carey (maybe not as curious as I am about your reads on the rest of the Percy Jackson, Heroes of Olympus, Trials of Apollo, Magnus Chase and the rest of the Riordanverse, but still)

[@Azzazle]

a quick thing about how you said that bell cries a lot more than beau, something that transfems (and other people that take estrogen for medical reasons) is that they often say they find it a lot easier to cry, and that they do in fact cry more often.

[@Sim0sama]

I love your analysis and in general the way you speak and explain things. English is my second language and luckily I can understand you, but it’s clear you are a cultural person from the way you explain 😊 it seems like listening to an audio books 😂 you can easily visualize your perspective and get transport by your words 😊 Anyway, I’m curious about reading the gender swaps version now 😂

[@amay7375]

This is actually the most eloquent breakdown of what is wrong with the Twilight saga and Stephenie Meyers defensiveness I have ever heard. You were 100% fair without being unnecessarily critical, you actually taught me a fresher feminist perspective on life in general! Love it xx

[@BlondeFictionalMen]

Honestly I absolutely love Life and Death and no one can change my mind

[@catherineliu06]

I borrowed the ebook at the beginning of this video. I'm thinking of returning it now that I got to your ending recap...

[@cl8733]

The question is not if the story still works with a "weak boy" in the lead, the question is why the decision was made to originally have a "weak girl" in the lead. Also, regarding the "Mary Sue" allegation: This allegation is never raised against male characters. Star Wars Ep. VII The Force Awakens ("TFA") was highly criticized for two things: 1. "It's the same story as the original Star Wars (Ep. IV / ANH), Rey = Luke" 2. "Rey is a Mary Sue" If Rey is a Mary Sue, and TFA is the same as ANH, doesn't that make Luke a Mary Sue, as well? I know and appreciate it is a bit more complex than that, but the point is that a lot of people have both opinions at the same time and see neither the contradiction nor the irony. (And yes, there is oh so much wrong with the sequels, especially TLJ and RoS, but that's not my point here)

[@JustZOfficial]

Wake up Mikayla posted

[@nidiaymedinapaz2833]

“Girl needed therapy not a 107 year old vampire.” 😂😂😂😂😂